TM TM User Guide 1
IMPORTANT Please read this manual carefully before using your mixer for the first time. © Harman International Industries Ltd. 2007 All rights reserved Parts of the design of this product may be protected by worldwide patents. Part No. ZM0356-02 Soundcraft is a trading division of Harman International Industries Ltd. Information in this manual is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of the vendor.
Contents SAFETY SYMBOL GUIDE IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS INTRODUCTION OVERVIEW THE 60-SECOND GUIDE WIRING UP BLOCK DIAGRAM MONO INPUT CHANNEL STEREO INPUT CHANNELS MASTER SECTION Lexicon® FX PROCESSOR OVERVIEW FX OPERATION FX PROCESSOR CONTROLS REVERBS REVERB CONTROLS DELAYS DELAY CONTROLS MODULATED EFFECTS FACTORY RESET EFFECTS DATA CHART USING YOUR EFX CONSOLE APPLICATIONS GLOSSARY TYPICAL CONNECTING LEADS MARK-UP SHEETS FITTING OPTIONAL RACKMOUNT EARS TYPICAL SPECIFICATIONS WARRANTY 4 5 7 8 8 10 14 15
For your own safety and to avoid invalidation of the warranty please read this section carefully. SAFETY SYMBOL GUIDE For your own safety and to avoid invalidation of the warranty all text marked with these symbols should be read carefully. WARNINGS The lightning flash with arrowhead symbol, is intended to alert the user to the presence of un-insulated “dangerous voltage” within the product’s enclosure that may be of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of electric shock to persons.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS Read these instructions. Keep these instructions. Heed all warnings. Follow all instructions. Do not use this apparatus near water. Clean only with a dry cloth. Do not block any ventilation openings. Install in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other apparatus (including amplifiers) that produce heat. Do not defeat the safety purpose of a polarised or grounding type plug.
Note: It is recommended that all maintenance and service on the product should be carried out by Soundcraft or its authorised agents. Soundcraft cannot accept any liability whatsoever for any loss or damage caused by service, maintenance or repair by unauthorised personnel. WARNING: To reduce the risk of fire or electric shock, do not expose this apparatus to rain or moisture. Do not expose the apparatus to dripping or splashing and do not place objects filled with liquids, such as vases, on the apparatus.
INTRODUCTION Thank you for purchasing a Soundcraft EFX mixer. The EFX range is our most cost-effective mixing solution, bringing you all the features and performance that you expect from a Soundcraft product, at an extraordinarily low price. The packaging, which your EFX arrived in, forms part of the product and must be retained for future use.
OVERVIEW THE 60-SECOND GUIDE To get you working as fast as possible, this manual begins with a 60-second guide. Here you can find quick information on any feature of the console. 1 MIC INPUT (XLR) Connect Microphones here. If you are using a condenser mic, ensure phantom power is supplied by pressing the switch at the top of the master section. WARNING: Do Not apply Phantom Power before connecting a microphone. 2 LINE INPUT (¼” Jack) Connect Line level sources here, e.g. Synth, Drum Machine, DI etc.
10 PFL When pressed the signal will appear on the monitor and headphone outputs - use this to monitor the post-EQ signal from the channel. 11 PEAK LED This is used to indicate that the signal is close to distorting (clipping) on a specific channel. 12 INPUT CHANNEL FADER This is used to control the level fed to the Mix Bus and post-fade sends. 13 MIX OUTPUTS (XLR) & MONO OUT (¼” Jack) Connect these to your analogue recording device, or to your amplification system.
WIRING UP Please refer to pages 38/39 for additional wiring details. Mic Input The MIC input accepts XLR-type connectors and is designed to suit a wide range of BALANCED or UNBALANCED low-level signals, whether from delicate vocals requiring the best low-noise performance, or drum kits needing maximum headroom. Professional dynamic, condenser or ribbon mics are best because these will be LOW IMPEDANCE.
Stereo Inputs STEREO 1/2 These accept 3-pole ‘A’ gauge jacks, or 2-pole mono jacks which will automatically ground the ‘cold’ input. Use these inputs for sources such as keyboards, drum machines, synths, tape machines or as returns from processing units. The input is BALANCED for low noise and immunity from interference, but you can use UNBALANCED sources by wiring up the jacks as shown, although you should then keep cable lengths as short as possible to minimise interference pick-up on the cable.
Headphones The PHONES output is a 3-pole ‘A’ gauge jack, wired as a stereo output as shown, ideally for headphones of 150Ω or greater. 8Ω headphones are not recommended. Polarity (Phase) You will probably be familiar with the concept of polarity in electrical signals and this is of particular importance to balanced audio signals.
PROBLEM SOLVING Basic problem solving is within the scope of any user if a few basic rules are followed. • Get to know the Block Diagram of your console (see page 14). • Get to know what all controls and/or connections in the system are supposed to do. • Learn where to look for common trouble spots. The Block Diagram is a representative sketch of all the components of the console, showing how they connect together and how the signal flows through the system.
MONO INPUT CHANNEL 1 Mic Input The MIC input accepts XLR-type connectors and is designed to suit a wide range of BALANCED or UNBALANCED signals. Professional dynamic, condenser or ribbon mics are best because these will be LOW IMPEDANCE. You can use low-cost HIGH IMPEDANCE mics, but the level of background noise will be higher. If you turn the PHANTOM POWER on (top right-hand side of the mixer) the socket provides a suitable powering voltage for professional condenser mics.
any background hiss will be more noticeable and you may not be able to get enough signal level to the output of the mixer. Note that some sound equipment, particularly that intended for domestic use, operates at a lower level (-10dBV) than professional equipment and will therefore need a higher gain setting to give the same output level. See “Initial Setup” on page 31 to learn how to set GAIN correctly.
7 FX Send This control sets the level of the post-fade signal being sent to the FX bus; from there it is routed to the FX processor. 8 PAN This control sets the amount of the channel signal feeding the Left and Right MIX buses, allowing you to move the source smoothly across the stereo image. When the control is turned fully left or right you are able to route the signal at unity gain to either left or right outputs individually.
STEREO INPUT CHANNELS 1 INPUTS STEREO 1/2 These inputs accept 3-pole ‘A’ gauge (TRS) jacks. Use these inputs for sources such as keyboards, drum machines, synths, tape machines or processing units. The inputs are BALANCED for low noise and top quality from professional equipment, but you can use UNBALANCED sources by wiring up the jacks as shown in the “Wiring it Up” section earlier in this manual, although you should then keep cable lengths as short as possible.
6 BALANCE This control sets the amount of the channel signal feeding the Left and Right MIX buses, allowing you to balance the source in the stereo image. When the control is turned fully right or left you feed only that side of the signal to the mix. Unity gain is provided by the control in the centredetented position. 7 MUTE All outputs from the channel are enabled when the MUTE switch is released and muted when the switch is down.
MASTER SECTION 1 PHANTOM POWER Many professional condenser mics need PHANTOM POWER, which is a method of sending a powering voltage down the same wires as the mic signal. Press the switch to enable the +48V power to all of the MIC inputs. The adjacent LED illuminates when the power is active. WARNING: TAKE CARE when using unbalanced mics which may be damaged by the phantom power voltage.
7 2 TRACK IN These two RCA phono sockets are unbalanced Left and Right line-level inputs, used for connecting a playback device. 8 2 TRACK TO MIX Press this switch to route the 2 Track in signals, connected to the Left and Right RCA sockets 7, to the MIX Left/Right signal at the MIX outputs. 9 MONITOR 2 TRACK Press this switch to route the 2 Track signal to the monitor and phones, over-riding the default Monitor/ Phones signal.
Lexicon® FX PROCESSOR OVERVIEW The effects within the console have been designed with both live sound reinforcement and home recording in mind. Featuring the deep, rich reverb algorithms that Lexicon® are renowned for the effects processor offers increased versatility and high quality effects, all instantly accessible via the extremely intuitive front panel controls.
FX PROCESSOR CONTROLS 1. Tempo Button - Tapping this button twice sets the Delay Time of the selected program. The LED flashes to indicate current tempo. Can be tapped in time with music source to synchronise the delay. 2. Store Button - Stores program modifications to one of the program locations. Press and hold for three seconds will store the preset in the current location. The LED will flash rapidly during the store operation and then stay illuminated for 1 second to show the operation is complete. 3.
REVERBS Reverberation (or “reverb” for short) is the complex effect created by the way we perceive sound in an enclosed space. When sound waves encounter an object or boundary, they don’t just stop. Some of the sound is absorbed by the object, but most of the sound is reflected or is diffused. In an enclosed space, reverb is dependent on many features of that space, including the size, shape and the type of materials that line the walls.
Reverse Reverb Reverse reverb works in the opposite fashion from normal reverb. Whereas a normal reverb has the loudest series of reflections heard first that then become quieter over time, the Reverse reverb has the softest reflections (essentially the tail of the reverb) heard first, and then grows louder over time until they abruptly cut off. Ambience Reverb Ambience is used to simulate the effect of a small or medium sized room without noticeable decay. It is often used for voice, guitar or percussion.
Shape This control helps give a sense of both room shape and room size. Low values for Shape keep the majority of sound energy in the early part of the reverb tail. High values move the energy to later in the reverb, and are helpful in creating the sense of a strong rear wall or “backslap. Boing This is a unique parameter to the Spring reverb, designed to increase or decrease the amount of spring rattle that is a physical characteristic of spring tank reverbs.
Feedback Controls the number of delay repeats by feeding the delay output signal back into the delay input. This creates a series of delay repeats, each slightly attenuated until they become inaudible. Higher settings create more repeats; lower settings reduce the number of repeats. When this knob is turned fully clockwise, it engages Repeat Hold – delay repeats play back in an infinite loop, but no further input signal is introduced into the delay effect.
Flanger This effect was originally created by simultaneously recording and playing back two identical programs on two tape recorders, then using hand pressure against the flange of the tape reels to slow down first one machine, then the other. The result was a series of changing phase cancellations and reinforcements, with characteristic swishing, tunneling, and fading sounds. Knob 1: Speed Controls the modulation rate of the Flanger effect. Knob 2: Depth Controls the intensity of the Flanger effect.
Vibrato Vibrato is obtained by smoothly varying the pitch of the signal just sharp and flat of the original at a determined rate. Vibrato Stereo (Wet only) Rotary Mono (Wet only) Tremolo/Pan Stereo (Wet only) Knob 1: Speed Controls the modulation rate of Vibrato. Knob 2: Depth Controls the maximum amount of pitch shift. Lower settings result in a mere “warble,” while higher settings produce a more exaggerated “wow” sound.
No 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 NAME SMALL HALL LARGE HALL VOCAL HALL DRUM HALL SMALL PLATE LARGE PLATE VOCAL PLATE DRUM PLATE ROOM STUDIO CHAMBER AMBIENCE ARENA GATED REVERSE SPRING STUDIO DELAY DIGITAL DELAY TAPE DELAY PONG DELAY MOD DELAY REVERSE DELAY CHORUS FLANGER PHASER TREMELO/PAN ROTARY VIBRATO REV/DEL SHORT REV/DEL LONG PHASE DELAY ROTARY DELAY ADJUST1 PREDELAY PREDELAY PREDELAY PREDELAY PREDELAY PREDELAY PREDELAY PREDELAY PREDELAY PREDEL
USING YOUR EFX CONSOLE The final output from your sound system can only ever be as good as the weakest link in the chain, and especially important is the quality of the source signal because this is the starting point of the chain. Just as you need to become familiar with the control functions of your mixer, so you must recognise the importance of correct choice of inputs, microphone placement and input channel settings.
achieve satisfactory input level setting without feedback, check microphone and speaker placement and repeat the exercise. If feedback persists, it may be necessary to use a Graphic Equaliser to reduce the system response at particular resonant frequencies. Note: The initial settings should only be regarded as a starting point for your mix.
APPLICATIONS APPLICATION 1 - LIVE SOUND REINFORCEMENT APPLICATION 2 - MULTISPEAKER APPLICATIONS This configuration demonstrates how multiple speaker configurations can be driven by the EFX.
APPLICATION 3 - PLACES OF WORSHIP This configuration uses the FX OUT BUS output to drive an induction loop for the hearing impaired (it is assumed that the FX processor isn’t being used in this configuration). Aux 1 output is used to generate foldback monitoring for the speaker/singer. The main outputs are used to drive the main speaker system. The record and playback connections are used to pass audio to and from a DAT machine or Cassette Recorder.
APPLICATION 4 - RECORDING The insert points on channels 1-8 may be used to feed a multitrack recorder as shown (link the send and return signals). The Mix outputs are used for a preliminary stereo mix on a DAT recorder.
GLOSSARY Auxiliary send An output from the console comprising a mix of signals from channels derived independently of the main stereo mix. Balance The relative levels of the left and right channels of a stereo signal. Balanced A method of audio connection which ‘balances’ the wanted signal between two wires, these wires also have a screen which carries no signal. Any interference is picked up equally by the two wires, which results in cancellation of the unwanted signal.
Rolloff Shelving Spill Transient Unbalanced +48V A fall in gain at the extremes of the frequency response. An equaliser response affecting all frequencies above or below the break frequency i.e. a highpass or lowpass derived response. Acoustic interference from other sources. A momentary rise in the signal level. A method of audio connection which uses a single wire and the cable screen as the signal return. This method does not provide the noise immunity of a balanced input (see above).
TYPICAL CONNECTING LEADS 38
MARK-UP SHEETS 40 You may freely copy these pages, and use them to record the settings used for particular applications/gigs.
FITTING OPTIONAL RACKMOUNT EARS The part numbers for the kits are: RW5745 RACK MOUNTING KIT - EFX8 RW5746 RACK MOUNTING KIT- EFX12 Note: a rack extender is included in the EFX8 rack mounting kit to make the console fit into a 19” frame, see the fitting instructions below.
EFX TYPICAL SPECIFICATIONS Frequency Response Mic / Line Input to any Output ...........................................+/-1.5dB, 20Hz – 20kHz T.H.D. Mic Sensitivity -30dBu, +14dBu @ Mix output .............................< 0.02% @ 1kHz Noise Mic Input E.I.N. (maximum gain) ..........................………..-127dBu (150Ω source) Aux, Mix and Masters (@ 0dB, faders down)...................................………< -85dBu Crosstalk (@ 1kHz) Channel Mute................................................................
WARRANTY 1 Soundcraft is a trading division of Harman International Industries Ltd . End User means the person who first puts the equipment into regular operation. Dealer means the person other than Soundcraft (if any) from whom the End User purchased the Equipment, provided such a person is authorised for this purpose by Soundcraft or its accredited Distributor. Equipment means the equipment supplied with this manual.
